


we're all in the mood for a melody and you got us feeling allright

by rocketshiptospace



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, sligh mentions of past abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-16
Updated: 2013-01-16
Packaged: 2017-11-25 18:45:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketshiptospace/pseuds/rocketshiptospace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're all lost, but somehow they get through it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we're all in the mood for a melody and you got us feeling allright

**Author's Note:**

> i don't even know what i'm doing anymore. basically a fic about niall playing guitar at a bar. also, this was based on the songs piano man by billy joel, zing voor me by lange frans en the lau and the au challenge 'slice of life'. had this saved on my laptop for ages and finally managed to finish it. yay ellie!

It's another chilly Saturday night and Niall is hurrying through he empty streets of the outskirts of London, guitar case clutched tightly in his hand. 

The cold wind is prickling his cheeks and he shuffles closer into his coat, trying to keep the cold outside. 

His blue eyes flit left and right before he hurriedly crosses the streets and after glancing around one last time he slips into the small cafe that's crammed between two old and cheap looking houses. 

The warmth that's coming from inside hits him and colors his cheek even redder than they already were. 

He walks further into the cafe, taking his coat off and dropping it on the first empty barstool he spots. 

Niall looks around and sees it's not very busy, like usual. The regulars are all there, though, and great Niall with raised glasses and half waves and Niall can't help but smile a bit. 

He walks over to the bar and greats Harry, who's eyes visibly light up when they land on Niall. 

"You came!" He excitedly says, fumbling around to get Niall a drink. Niall gladly takes a swig from the beer Harry hands him and smiles at the curly haired lad. 

"Of course I'm here. When am I not?" He says and Harry laughs and Niall remembers where he does this all for, to hear that laugh, to see Harry forget about his problems for awhile and for him to just be happy for a second. 

"Ok, better start playing. Your customers are getting impatient." Niall says with a smile as Louis, who's sitting a few barstools away from Harry and Niall, throws a beer mat their way. It misses by a mile. 

Harry pats his arm and wishes him good luck and Niall grabs his guitar case and heads of to the small stage that's cramped in the corner of the small café before Harry can see him blush. 

Niall remembers the first time he came in here, when it was raining and he was lost and he needed a place to hide and stumbled into this place. He hadn't hesitated for even a second, just pushed the door open and walked in. 

He was met by a comfortable warmth and beer and surprisingly comfortable barstools and friendly faces and Harry. 

And he remembers someone asking about the guitar case he was carrying along and he admitted to being able to play a bit and maybe sing some too and everybody had encourages him to play and he did and after that he never really left again. 

Because Niall liked playing for these people, who might all be a bit drunk but still appreciated him for singing for them and they would never tell him and Niall would never say anything about it, but he know they needed them to sing for them. 

Niall knew the stories behind all these people, knew why they were here, why they needed to escape their lives for awhile, why they needed Niall to take them away. 

And when Niall strums the first few chords and clears his throat, he sees the eyes of everybody there focusing on him and he can't help but relive the stories in his head. 

His eyes focus on Zayn, a guy sitting in the far back of the room, quietly sipping his beer, his tattoo splattered arms tensing with the grip he holds on the glass. 

Niall knows why. Knows why Zayn always seems so tense, eyes always flitting around, keeping an eye on everything, limbs never relaxing for a second. 

Zayn was weary at first, but told him eventually. He warmed up to Niall, after being so guarded for so long, but eventually he trusted Niall because he's Niall and everyone eventually ends up trusting Niall. 

He told Niall the stories about the army, about the guns and the blood and the bombs and even though it's all over, he's not there anymore, all that harm and pain is in the past, it still lingers with him, will always stay with him. 

He's still afraid of stepping on bombs and being shot and god only knows about the other horrible ways he has seen people die, and Niall knows from the bags under Zayn's eyes that they also haunt Zayn in his dreams, innocent people dying in front of his eyes without him being capable of doing anything about it. 

Niall's smooth voice floats through the cafe and everybody stays silent, listening closely. 

Niall's eyes land on Liam, who's sitting only one table away from Zayn. 

Liam is like an old soul trapped in a younger body. 

His eyes are sad and tired looking, like he already lived a millions lives and is so tired and just wants to sleep, sleep and never wake up again. 

Niall doesn't know his exact story, because Liam never opens his mouth, barely talks about it, even though he knows he can thrust Niall. 

But from Niall's heard Liam had a very strict dad, who didn't take the fact his son liked guys very well. 

Niall's seen the scars, they're splayed across the skin of Liam's arms, faded, but still there. 

Niall knows Liam's been married to a woman, in hopes of pleasing his dad. But it didn't work out and in the end it only made it worse and now Liam has an ex that hates his guts and kids he's never allowed to see. 

But Niall knows Liam is getting there, building his life up again. He's seen the way Liam looks at Louis, and he knows Liam's coming to terms with his feelings. 

Niall really hopes it works out, because he knows they both need it. 

Louis is a different case then Liam though. 

Niall's eyes shift to him, where he is sitting at the bar, rum and coke held in his hands, staring at Niall with sparkling blue eyes. 

Niall knows Louis had dreams. 

Dreams about being an actor and being famous and being loved and Niall knows he deserves it, deserves to be adored. 

Because Louis is a great guy who never fails to make you smile, always finds a way to light up your day. 

But something happened, nobody knows exactly what, but Louis gave up on his dreams, abandoned them, choose a life as a supermarket employee instead, crappy apartment and no hopes for the future. 

Louis winks at him and it makes Niall smile sadly, because he honestly hates the way Louis hides his pain behind a happy mask. Niall knows it’s a mask, because he has seen the cracks in it whenever Louis drank just a bit too much and had to be carried home by a deeply sighing Liam.

His eyes start to wander again and eventually land on the person he tried to avoid looking at all night, knowing it will distract him, knowing it will make him mess up.

Harry.

Harry is standing at the bar, still, hands resting on the counter and eyes closed, looking like he’s just peacefully listening to Niall’s music.

But Niall knows, from experience, that Harry’s not only listening to the music. He knows about the baby monitor standing underneath the bar, knows about the little girl sleeping upstairs, knows all about how hard it is for Harry to raise his daughter on his own and at the same time run the café to earn some money.

He knows it’s hard for Harry and he wish he could help.

But he know he can’t, because in the end he’s just as messed up as everybody here. Where they need him to sing for them, to forget their pain, he just needs to sing to forget.

Forget about the small room with the mattress he call his home, forget about all the jobs he’s lost and all the jobs he’s never going to get. Forget about all the lost dreams, lost hopes, lost loves. 

Forget about the fact he’s a screw up who’s never going to get anywhere in life.

Because when he’s here, standing on the tiny little stage that feels like it’s going to collapse, looking at all the sad but smiling faces of the crowd, he gets a teeny tiny bit of hope.

He looks in Harry’s sparkling green eyes and sees a promise, a hope, a future.

But for now he will just sing.


End file.
